Culture
Cultural leaders from around the world charted the future of museums amid the promise and challenges of advanced technology at the just-concluded third UNESCO High-Level Forum for Museums in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.
Held at the 5,000-year-old Liangzhu site, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the three-day forum which opened on Wednesday brought together more than 190 museum directors, curators and cultural experts from over 60 countries and regions.
Participants shared their insights on how museums across different regions can adapt to new realities while strengthening cross-cultural dialogue and cooperation.
"We work on European level and Europe is a kind of specific area. So it will be most interesting to compare the different systems and how they affect the museums," said Petra Havu, chairperson of the Network of European Museum Organizations, which represents over 30,000 museums in Europe.
"Museum is not only about transmitting the knowledge and preserving it, but we have to provide a space for reflection. also doing that. No culture is less than other culture," said Inkyung Chang, vice president of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), an organization dedicated to redefining the role of museums in today's world.
Following a visit to the Liangzhu archaeological site, the forum officially opened with discussions on museums as platforms for lifelong learning, agents of social change, and the adoption of emerging technologies.
The forum aimed to amplify the role of museums in addressing global challenges and fostering inclusive societies. Participants also explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping museum operations and visitor experiences, weighing both its opportunities and risks.